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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 3 |
| 1889 | 3 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 5 |
| 1892 | 10 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1894 | 4 |
| 1895 | 9 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 3 |
| 1904 | 4 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 3 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1916 | 3 |
| 1917 | 3 |
| 1925 | 1 |
68 stories matching dissent
- A Territorial Legislature Grants a Divorce
In 1859, Alice Davis asked Washington's lawmakers—not a court—to end her marriage, and the House obliged by an 18-to-3 vote.
- Tacoma Sealed Its Waterfront Deal With a Telegram
The city council approved a tide-land plat after railroad and land-company officials promised rights-of-way and waterways—over dissenters who wanted more than long-distance assurances.
- The Day Seattle Women Lost the Vote
In a bombshell ruling that blindsided the territory, the Supreme Court struck down the 1883 law that first granted Washington women the right to cast a ballot.
- When the Great Railroad Strike Reached Seattle
In July 1894 the Pullman boycott finally tied up the Lake Shore road in Seattle — local switchmen walked out in sympathy, and the company answered with firings, Winchester-armed deputies and a federal judge.
- Seattle Declares War on the Northern Pacific
A packed town hall votes to demand the forfeiture of unearned railroad land grants, signaling a shift from boosterism to populist revolt.
- The Battle for Elliott Bay
A railroad company is eyeing a constitutional clause to claim millions in tide lands, but the public says the water belongs to the people.
- Seattle Lawyers Debate Martial Law and Mob Violence
In a tense meeting, the King County Bar Association condemns the recent anti-Chinese expulsions and debates whether to censure lawyers involved in the agitation.
- The Streets Seattle Was About to Give Away
A city council committee votes to vacate waterfront streets south of Charles Street, and the city engineer warns that private tide-land leases could cut Seattle off from deep water.
- Tacoma's Business Men Draw a Line at Railroad Control
Independent members of the Chamber of Commerce nominate a rival ticket after charging that Northern Pacific and Tacoma Railway & Power proxies packed the nominating committee.
- The Saloon Keepers' Political Machine
Local liquor interests meet at Eagles' Hall to strategize against a mayor who shuttered dance halls and cracked down on 'sporting women.'
- The Palace Coup at the Young Men’s Independent Club
A political faction attempts to seize control of a local club through backroom deals and 'gag rules,' only to be met with a revolt by the membership.
- The Supreme Court Rules on the 'Old Yakima Mandamus' Case
A long-standing legal battle over the railroad’s power to make or unmake towns concludes with a narrow Supreme Court decision.
- Senate Moves to Outlaw Private Armed Guards
Legislature targets 'obnoxious agents of moneyed power' as Kinnear bill passes unanimously.
- The Mayor's Fists in Whatcom
A City Council meeting spirals into chaos as the mayor orders the violent ejection of a dissenting councilman.
- Farmers Organize Against Northern Pacific Monopoly
Producers in Ellensburg hold an indignation meeting to protest freight discrimination and the railroad's broken land grant promises.
- Snohomish Wants Its Health Officer Gone as Smallpox Closes In
A mass meeting demands Dr. McCready resign, the new pesthouse burns down overnight, and a pauper patient dies — all while the state threatens to quarantine the town.
- The Price of Dissent in Wartime
A Richland man faces federal charges for treasonable utterances against the President and the U.S. Army during the fervor of the First World War.
- The Case of the Missing Jury
A landmark Washington Territory court ruling challenges the legal status of women as jurors, debating whether 'civil disability' laws were ever intended to grant women the right to serve.
- The Gambler’s Shield: How Seattle Saloon Keepers Dodged Mayor Moras’ Purge
When Chief Justice Burke urged the city to revoke liquor licenses from gambling dens, the Common Council refused—citing legal technicalities and protecting the very establishments the mayor wanted shut down.
- The Fight for Washington’s Soul
Legislators clash over a proposal to split the Washington Territory, revealing deep-seated animosity between the eastern and western regions.
- Cleaning Up the Ballot Box
Legislators move to close loopholes that allowed fraudulent signatures to threaten the integrity of Washington's direct democracy.
- Starvation Wages and a Broken Light Contract: Seattle's Lower House Erupts
Delegates demand answers on Pike Street paving, city jobs parceled out by foremen, Kilbourne Avenue subcontracting, and the gas-electric company's failure to light the city.
- Newport's Railroad Franchise Went Through in a Single Night
In May 1908, the Commercial Club packed the council meeting and Newport's leaders voted without dissent to hand the Idaho & Washington Northern its franchise, betting the town's future on rail and industry.
- The Bridge Over Broken Trust
In 1878, a sharp dissent by a King County Commissioner reveals the classic political struggle over infrastructure spending and the limits of the public purse.
- The Jury That Refused the Judge
Three Tacoma jurors face contempt charges after defying a court order to deliver a verdict they claimed went against their own judgment.
Also about this, in other words
- The Price of Dissent in Kennewick
A local resident writes to the paper to denounce a neighbor for 'treasonable utterances' and calls for a stricter enforcement of loyalty during wartime.
- The Church Coup d'Etat
A bitter schism at the Market Street Baptist Church culminates in a hostile procedural maneuver to re-elect a controversial pastor.
- Labor Leader Takes the Stand Against Court Injunctions
Ernest P. Marsh, representing Everett laborers at the national convention, details the fight to defend free speech and the right to boycott amidst the Buck Stove and Range case.
- The Mother of Discontent: Abigail Scott Duniway’s Rally for Rights
In an impassioned 1878 address to the Territorial Convention, activist Abigail Scott Duniway demanded Washington women be granted the vote, framing the domestic 'insurrection' of disenfranchised wives as a parallel to the American Revolution.
- A Landmark Victory for Free Speech and Labor
The Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss contempt charges against three labor leaders marks a turning point for the rights of workers to boycott and organize.
- The Price of Dissent in the Hay Administration
A state inspector loses his job for allegedly failing to support the Governor's re-election bid, revealing a culture of political retribution.
- The House Rejects Treason Resolution
Tensions reach a boiling point in the territorial legislature as members debate the loyalty of Delegate Isaac I. Stevens during the onset of the Civil War.
- Political Conflict in an Olympia Classroom
A student is driven from school after being bullied for his vocal support of the Union.